


A Visit to Santa

by morganaDW (morgana07)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Bottom Jensen, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Holidays, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mpreg, Protective Jared, Schmoop, Top Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:43:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2803235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgana07/pseuds/morganaDW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared's a mall Santa with what was a near perfect life. He had the man he loved and a daughter they adore. Then a misunderstanding causes a rift that he still thinks he and Jensen can cope through.</p><p>The day his innocent and unsuspecting little girl visits Santa to ask him to bring her Daddy home he realizes how wrong he might be and knows that to give his little girl her wish he has to go home and make things right with Jensen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Overall warning will be for language and in the second chapter explicit content. There will be mention on implied Mpreg and possible mention of it before the end of the story so this one gets an Mpreg warning as well.
> 
> Beta'd By: Cappy 712
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
> 
> Author Note: This will be a short J2 AU holiday piece since the muse decided to do sappy and fluffy and chapter two will be up soon.

**A Visit to Santa**

**Chapter One**

Two days before Christmas usually meant stressed out people, crowded malls, excited children, too much snow and of course in the case of some…a visit to the local mall to visit a jolly fat man in red suit.

“And what is your name little girl?” the deep voice of the man in the suit at this particular Texas mall asked, distracted by adjusting the beard that had nearly been pulled off by an out of control little boy earlier.

“Carly Jay Ackles-Padalecki,” came the perky little voice of the fair skinned freckle faced little girl with dark brown curls falling from under a hat that was barely still on her head and immediately Santa went still, eyes shooting up to see a petite dark haired woman standing off to the stand looking right back at him as if daring him to mess this up. “Hi, Santa!”

The bright and bubbly voice had an infectious cheerfulness to it that made even people in line smile at how happy she was to be sitting on Santa’s lap.

“Well now that is certainly a long name for such a tiny girl,” Santa chuckled, hoping he sounded normal or as normal as Santa sounded given the man in the suit was very far from normal or calm right then. “I think I call you CJ on my list of good little boys and girls.”

“That’s what my Daddies call me too,” the little girl who looked to be six at best smiled brightly with a missing front tooth and deep dimples while her eyes seemed to glitter between green and brown. “I begged my Auntie Gen to bring me to see you Santa. I needed to talk to you face to face even though my Daddy emailed my lists months ago.”

“And I got your list and all of the addendums to it so don’t you worry. Santa will bring you…” the jolly man in the beard still wasn’t sure if the girl would grow up to be a ballerina or a lawyer after he’d taken in the attention to detail on each of those redone lists. He stopped talking at her insistent head shake that managed to cause her hat to fall off.

“No, Santa, no,” CJ wrapped her gloved fingers into the soft white fur lining as her bottom lip began to tremble as if fighting the tears that were welling up in her big eyes. “I want you to forget those lists. I don’t want any toys or stuff I put down back then,” she told him with a sniffle, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her soft new coat and missing the sharp flash of confused concern in Santa’s eyes while he shot a look toward the woman. “I…I need you to bring me something else. Something that only you can do cause you’re Santa and everyone knows Santa can work miracles.”

Santa adjusted the petite girl on his lap a bit better. He took his time with each child in his line so this wouldn’t seem any different. “What do you want Santa to bring that’s more important than what was on your list, CJ?” he asked curiously.

“My Daddy.”

And just like that the line of crying kids, impatient people and everything else around them vanished as the man in the suit felt like his head would explode. Of everything he thought he might hear from this precocious child’s mouth that was not it and it took a cough from an elf to snap him back to see wet eyes looking up at him, heartbreaking eyes that the man knew were a cross between her fathers.

“Your…your Daddy?” he asked after clearing his throat. “Why would you ask me to…”

“Because Grandma says it’s my fault my Daddy’s had a fight and Daddy left us. Now Dad is sad even though he works all the time and says he’s not, he is cause I hear him at night when he thinks I’m asleep and I hear him cry for Daddy,” CJ chewed her lip. “I…I didn’t mean to be bad, Santa. I didn’t mean to make my Daddy leave or make Dad sad and cry and…”

“Carly Jay, you did not make your Daddies fight or cause your Daddy to leave and your grandmother will be getting a lump of coal for telling you such lies,” Santa declared firmly while deciding that wasn’t all that bitter old woman was going to get as soon as he was free. “Now you dry those big eyes and don’t you worry cause I promise your Daddies will be back together soon. It’s just some grown-up stuff and too many people sticking their noses where they don’t belong but your Daddy loves your Dad with all his heart.”

“Really?” the child’s lips still trembled but slowly a dimple did appear as a white glove wiped her face. “Grandma says Daddy only stayed with us cause Dad got…Santa if Dad got knocked up wouldn’t he fall down since how can someone get…Santa, why is Mr. Elf choking?”

Santa was having a hard time not choking himself on that one so he didn’t blame the elf that was closest to hear the exchange but he made himself swallow and smooth a hand over thick soft dark curls. “No, that’s another lump of coal for Nanny Ackles,” he had no doubt in his mind which of the child’s grandmother’s would tell her something like that and it sure as hell wouldn’t have been where her father could have heard it. “Carly, your Daddy’s love you and they love each other but…I’ll see what I can do. Now let’s wipe his pretty face and you give Santa your best smile so the Elf can take our picture and your Auntie Gen can take you home for a nice hot meal.”

Dimples winked as the child did as she was told and then kissed his cheek. “I’m spending the night with Auntie Gen and Auntie Dani tonight cause Dad’s been working so much and so distracted he didn’t shop so I’m having girl’s night!”

“Oh…uhh…that’s good, I think,” Santa knew it wasn’t and shot the smiling brunette a warning look while placing the little girl on her feet to send her on her way with a wave as she waved at him and yelled ‘bye Santa!’ “Bye, Carly.”

The rest of the night passed slowly or it did to the man in the Santa suit. By the time the line was over, kids delivered their wishes and pictures taken the man in the suit was beat; but it was more emotionally beat than physically since he really did enjoy volunteering at the mall. He just hadn’t been expecting the blow to his heart he’d taken that night.

“So…” the elf that had choked began from where he was leaning against the lockers in the mall’s dressing room. “That was interesting?” he held out a badly knitted cap that had fallen. “She dropped this and forgot it.”

Since someone else was in the suit the next day and he’d finish the season out the few hours on Christmas Eve the mall was open, the tall, broad shouldered young man looked up from tying his boots to run his fingers through long chestnut brown hair to see the cap and smiled a little wanly.

“I told him if we waited long enough that she’d grow into this thing,” he reached out to take the hat that smelled like the apple shampoo Carly was attached to. “It started out a booty.”

“What the hell, Jare?” the elf, actually a 6’ leanly built blond haired man, demanded while watching his long-time friend pull a t-shirt on and then a heavier flannel since this year San Antonio was cold and snowy. “When you showed up at my door a few weeks ago saying you and Jensen had a fight I left you alone because I know you and I know you two haven’t been apart more than two weeks since you met back in college but…is what Carly said true?”

“We had a fight but that’s about all she said that was correct but then she shouldn’t even know that since the last thing we agreed on when I walked out the door that night was that Carly was to be kept out of it. Jensen was telling her I was away on business for Dad but…it seems like someone else decided to stick her goddamn nose into this and fill my baby girl’s head with a bunch of crap,” Jared Padalecki had plenty of things he planned to say to one Evelyn Ackles when he had the chance but that night he knew he needed to do something else.

Grabbing his jacket, gloves and a small bag that he’d been storing in his locker Jared stuffed the child’s cap into a pocket while meeting his friend’s curious look and knew that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Chad’s curiosity. “When Carly changed her list to Santa the last time she put something on it that we weren’t expecting,” he began quietly, recalling what had happened to cause his happy family to fracture. “She asked Santa for a little brother or sister…and then she asked us during dinner if we thought one day Jensen’s belly would get big like her teachers did before she had her baby.”

“Okay, so we’ve already had the ‘where babies come from’ talk with my favorite ballerina,” Chad frowned a little at that given how deeply protective and private both men were about certain things so he was surprised they’d talk to their only daughter about babies and that Jensen could have them.

“No…well yeah but not because we wanted to,” Jared sighed, shutting the locker door and beginning to walk out with his best friend a step behind him. “Jensen’s mother dropped by one day while I was at work and he’s still in the process of trying to get her to accept things so he let her in. I guess everything was going fine until she sideswiped him in front of Carly about how embarrassing it still was for her at Church that her son not only was gay but that he had a spawn of Satan.”

The 6’4” former football college football player and now assistant in his father’s law firm heard a sound that he knew were teeth clenching. “Yeah. It’s not enough that Jensen graduated college top of his class while six months pregnant or that I never denied that she was mine and I stood up for him because I loved him even before I knew he could have kids. To her he’s still a disappointment and our daughter is a sin. So when I got home that night our daughter was in tears and Jensen wasn’t far behind. We had to explain to her and so when a teacher in her school had a baby she got curious.”

“Yeah, I don’t know where she got that brain from,” Chad smirked, ducking the hand that slapped at him. “What between you and Jensen, the kid’s got genius level brains and snark from both sides of the genepool.”

“And she doesn’t get it through osmosis by a few of her surrogate family,” Jared snorted, ignoring the rude gesture that earned him while he pulled his car keys out. “Since I happen to have it on good authority that your mutual goddaughter is having girls night at Gen and Dani’s apartment, go crash that and make sure she doesn’t come home with fake eyelashes or glitter all over her again. I swear Jensen will have a stroke if that happens again.”

Chad groaned at the thought of going to that apartment but since he also knew there’d be food and his favorite little girl so he would make the sacrifice. “I’ll call before I or Gen bring her home?” he asked, tone cautious.

“Yeah, call first because one way or another I do plan on fixing this tonight because I will not let her spend Christmas without both of us; especially not thinking it’s her fault,” Jared replied, nodding his thanks to his friend before pulling out of the mall parking lot that still looked crowded to him and heading to a section of San Antonio he knew by heart.

Jared had gone to Texas A&M on a football scholarship while deciding if he wanted to major in law or arts. He looked like the typical jock with his broad shoulders, long arms and legs that were well muscled from running every morning and working out but anyone who knew him knew that Jared T. Padalecki was far from the average jock.

He came from a family of lawyers and accountants with a couple aunts and uncles in the medical side of the things but he didn’t mind playing down his smarts at times to fit in easier. Jared had friends in college but he didn’t always like to party like they did and he also didn’t have the same views on certain subjects like a few of his friends and a good many of the football team did so the first time he met one Jensen Ross Ackles was not the greatest first meeting.

In fact Jared was still amazed the shy young design student didn’t slam the door in his face three nights later when he showed up unannounced with a new leather jacket to replace the one torn by a bunch of asshole bigots who’d decided Jensen was the perfect target for their hate that semester.

Jensen should’ve been a Freshman by his age but because of his high IQ and GPA he’s skipped a year so was taking Sophomore classes so he was an automatic target but then it got out that the 6’1” lean handsome young man was also gay so that put a huge target on his back from the first day of classes and the jocks went for it.

Raised in a large family who liked to bicker but hated bullies and racists, Jared wasn’t big on looking down on others because they were poor or different. He’d been raised to judge by a person’s inner self and a couple chance encounters in the coffee shop where he learned Jensen worked told him the shy and quiet student was a lot more than most people were giving him credit for.

The night Jared stumbled up a few of his buddies beating the hell out of Jensen and about to do a lot more he made his choice. He might’ve ended up with a few cracked ribs, some bruises and a lecture from the Dean of students for fighting with his teammates but Jared had protected someone who’d done nothing wrong and that’s what mattered to him.

Deciding to replace the torn jacket had been spur of the moment since he wasn’t sure of Jensen would lump him in with the other asshole jocks or not so the first few moments of silence when Jensen had opened his dorm room door to him had been strained until he stepped back with a quiet ‘come in’.

From that night on Jared tried to swing by the coffee shop at least once a day and despite the trouble he had with his friends he finally earned an actual smile from Jensen; one that met his deep green eyes. That smile and small laugh had Jared happy for the rest of the week.

Jared had never openly revealed that he was gay while at college. He’d never claimed he was gay or straight since he’d just never been interested in dating. He went out if a buddy set him up and was always polite even if the girl was a bit too forward and looking for one thing only from him so the day when Jensen, on a break from bussing tables, worked up the guts to come up to where Jared was sitting pretending to do his homework when he was really watching Jensen to stumble his way through to ask him if he’d like to have dinner one night the quarterback’s dimples popped when he said yes.

After that dinner, it seemed like they were pretty near inseparable. Jensen still had trouble from bullies but once it was plain that Jared would bloody faces for anything said or done then it slowly began to trickle down to just minor annoyances from a couple tough guys.

Jared learned a lot in a short time about his boyfriend and what he learned reminded him of how lucky he was to have a family like he did because the first time he met Jensen’s well off parents he decided immediately that he didn’t like them or their attitude toward their only son.

It seemed like they were willing to humor Jensen’s gayness as they called it so long as he never brought it into their world so learning he had a boyfriend in college enraged Richard Ackles and embarrassed Evelyn Ackles. It didn’t matter that their son was happy or that Jared wasn’t just some jock they cared that it would look bad on the family name.

It was a whole three days before Jared fully realized how manipulative the Ackles’ family could be when a mutual friend from the coffee shop met him in the hallway between his classes to quietly let Jared know his too proud to admit to having trouble boyfriend had been locked out of his dorm room. Someone had made up lies to the school faculty to get him kicked out of the dorm so Jensen had been sleeping in the storeroom of the shop

Jared finished classes that day and by the time Jensen was done with his he’d worked his argument out in his head to how it just made more sense for Jensen to move in with him in his off campus apartment.

“‘I have an extra bedroom since we’re not that far into our relationship yet and you can lock the door if you’d feel safer. It would give you someplace quiet to study and I have an awesome computer that can handle your design software. Plus, I’m studying law and can really argue until the cows come home so you might as well say yes to me now, sugar.’” Jared hated that one expression Jensen had that made it impossible to read him but just when he was winding up for case study, he was shocked when Jensen kissed him; the first time the younger man initiated a kiss since they’d been dating before saying ‘yes’.

The two were very different so there were fights. Jared was outgoing, friendly and messy while Jensen was not as outgoing. He was friendly once he got to know people but he was more cautious given his trust in people were low. He was also very orderly and liked to have everything in a certain way. It had shocked their friends that they didn’t kill one another in the first month of living together but despite the differences they got along quite well.

It was the summer of what was senior year that they began to expand the physical side of their lives when visiting Jared’s family outside of San Antonio a long Padalecki barbecue ended up with them in a loft above the barn. They were making out and Jensen caught Jared’s hand when he went to pull back from going farther than they had before.

They made love the first time before the summer was out but neither knew the risks since Jensen’s parents had never told him that he carried the gene that allowed him to get pregnant and give birth. They didn’t know about this until the day came when Jared was called out of class because Jensen had collapsed in his design class and was rushed to the ER.

By the time a frantic Jared got to the hospital he found his boyfriend a wide eyed shaking terrified mess with a stern faced nurse waving a form in front of his face and demanding he sign it. The pre-law student in Jared snapped to at that to growl that Jensen wasn’t signing anything until they knew what it was and a threat to call his father, a well-known lawyer, was all it took to get a doctor in to tell Jared that Jensen was pregnant and the paper was permission to abort the child.

Jensen, for his part, had been terrified Jared would hate him or think he’d led him on but he still pulled himself together enough to grab the paperwork to tear it to shreds while telling the nurse and her disapproval to go straight to hell because no one was touching him or his baby.

A few calls home to the Ackles home outside of Houston finally got a disapproving Evelyn to admit that doctors had told them years ago about the abnormal gene in Jensen’s system that meant he could conceive but they never thought anything of it because they figured their son would outgrow his desire to be gay.

She had helpfully suggested a quiet trip outside the country to take care of her sons’ indiscretion but Jared, who’d been listening silently but furiously, took the phone to flat out say no to that plan. He then took Jensen home and held him all night until the young design student finally looked up at him to ask what he was supposed to do.

“‘I love you, Jen,’” Jared had said easily, scared as well but not having any doubts about the only choice there was for them now. “‘I told you that when I started dating and I still mean it. You didn’t know this might happen but I’m just as big a part of it as you are. This is my baby too and if you’ll let me I’ll take care of both of you. Let me?’”

Jensen let the walls he’d always kept up come down fully and let the tears of relief come then because he loved Jared and even now he loved their unborn child.

Of course Jared learned for such a quiet person Jensen did not take being sick well and he had morning sickness and other issues from the start but managed to keep up with his classes in person and a few agreed to let him take them from home and the computer.

He kept his grades up despite being sick, weak, and scared and graduated top of his class with his degree in design and architecture while Jared got his in pre-law but decided to attend a local law school in San Antonio so he’d be close to help Jensen since his parents had made it plain he’d get no help from them in any way, financially or medically.

Jared was grateful for his family because when things got bad it was his mother that turned up at the hospital the first time they thought his husband had miscarried after a fight with his mother and it was Beth Padalecki who stayed with Jensen while Jared tried to focus on school. It had been his father who got Jared out of a test the day their impatient daughter chose to be born three weeks too soon and his brother who kept him from punching out his father-in-law when the man made some insensitive comment about how close to death both Jensen and the infant had been for a time.

Carly Jay Ackles-Padalecki did survive after weeks in an incubator while Jensen had some serious health issues of his own after her birth that kept him in ICU for nearly a week and Jared scared to death that he was going to lose them both.

The doctor told them gently that while Jensen could still conceive they couldn’t promise if he’d survive the birth so Jared had flat out said that there would be no more children unless they adopted because while he loved knowing Jensen wanted to give him kids he loved Jensen more and didn’t want to lose him.

They didn’t discuss it after that really. Raising Carly, who turned out to be healthy and happy with traits of both of her fathers, Jensen getting on at a design firm that allowed him to work from home and Jared graduating law school finally and taking a job at his father’s firm kept them busy until that one night a few weeks earlier when their little girl innocently asked Santa for a baby brother or sister and Jensen said he wanted to try to have another baby.

Jared knew he’d reacted badly but he could still recall the numbing terror he’d felt six years earlier at the thought of Jensen dying. He recalled the doctor’s words of too weak, body would never support another birth and risk of death nearly a certainty.

It was those memories rolling through his head that caused him to react loudly and in the worst way possible because while Jensen was usually even tempered for the most part if someone yelled at him or forbid him from doing anything then you got to see the other side of Jensen and that was the side that Jared ended up seeing as they had one of their worst fights in their nearly ten years together.

Deciding it best to leave until they both settled down, Jared had thought he’d made certain Jensen knew he still loved him and that this wasn’t a breakup or anything of the sort. He thought that until he heard his little girl cry while asking Santa to bring her Daddy home and learned that his mother-in-law had been too close and filling Carly’s little head with lies.

Jared pulled his car into the driveway of the modest two story home he’d allowed his parents to buy them to frown when he noticed the fancy and expensive Mercedes Benz in the driveway and did not like that either one of or both of Jensen’s parents were here this late at night or at all really since while his husband had learned to stand up for himself in a lot of ways all it took was a sharp voice from one of them to make him shake.

When Jared first decided to come here from the mall to try to fix this he’d been planning to ring the bell with the hat held out much like he’d down when he’d taken Jensen a new jacket but as he got closer to the door and heard raised voices he changed his plan. The moment he was reaching for the knob and heard Jensen’s deep voice break on a sob all else was forgotten and the front door was slamming open with the same intense need to protect and shield as he’d always felt.

He took the long hall that led to their living room in three long steps, sharp eyes taking in his pale faced and clearly upset young husband standing face to face with his stern faced parents while some guy Jared had no clue about had his hand on Jensen’s arm and that was all Jared saw before his temper blew.

“Hey asshole!” he snapped, no friendly Texas drawl in his voice right then and when the guy jerked his head around at the unexpected voice Jared’s fist hit him square in his too perfectly chiseled face. “Get your goddamn hands off of what’s mine!”

Jared’s sudden appearance and action broke the heavy stillness that had been in the room but as Richard Ackles began to turn to demand what he thought he was doing there and what he’d just done Jared’s focus didn’t move from wide surprised green eyes that shot to his.

“I live here,” he replied to the one question but then all he saw was relief on Jensen’s rugged face at seeing him. “Hey, Jen,” Jared murmured softly and took a step forward only to have Jensen in his arms in the next moment.

As it always was the moment he held Jensen the rest of world always seemed to vanish for just that moment. It do so this time until unwelcomed voices intruded and reminded Jared there’d been a strange man with his hand on his husband.

“Who the hell is the asshole on the floor that better stay there or I will be putting him back down there?” he demanded, shifting to put Jensen more to the side while he met the hateful eyes of his father-in-law. “And what the hell are you doing in our house this late and…” Jared’s eyes went to his mother-in-law to glare as he thought of what he’d heard earlier. “…and what the hell are you doing telling our daughter that it’s her fault her Daddies broke up? Or that I only stayed with Jensen because and I quote ‘cause he got knocked up’?” he heard a hiss of a breathe being inhaled. “Yeah, should I mention Gen took Carly to see Santa tonight and I got an earful as she begged Santa not to bring her anything from her lists because she just wanted her Daddy to come home?”

Jensen wasn’t sure what to think or do when he first heard Jared’s voice. He was just so relieved to actually see him after weeks of fearing that he had forced his husband away all over an overreaction on both their parts.

He accepted he hadn’t been coping real well but he’d been dealing with Christmas approaching, a confused and scared little girl, a design firm that suddenly wanted him to transfer across the country or lose his job and his parents intruding in his life.

The 24 year old had missed Jared but wasn’t sure how to get him back without making it worse so he’d been trying to give Jared time to calm down before he called him but then all hell had broken loose at the same time it seemed and he hadn’t even realized his mother had been filling his daughter’s head with cruel lies or when she’d even had time to see Carly.

“When the hell did you tell Carly that crap?” he demanded while glaring at his mother, jerking back out of instincts he thought he’d left behind years ago with his father’s big hand reached out only to have Jared step in front of him like a shield. “It wasn’t when I was anywhere around cause I would’ve tossed your ass out and told you to take your opinions and plans to ship her off to some private school and stick them up your ass.”

“Jensen Ross Ackles! Don’t you dare speak to your mother in that tone!” his father snapped, looking at Jared like he was dirt on his shoe. “I’m calling the police to have you arrested Padalecki! You just assaulted…”

“I hit some bastard who had his hand on my husband, in my home, and Jensen sure didn’t look like he wanted to be touched so go ahead, call ‘em,” Jared growled, looking down at the man on the floor. “Who is he?” he asked again.

“Some asshole they brought with the idea that they were going to force me to leave here cause he got the design firm to threaten to fire me if I don’t relocate and she wants Carly placed in some ‘special’ school down south,” Jensen replied, fingers digging into Jared’s jacket when he felt muscles go rigid. “Jay, I’m…”

Ignoring the people in their house Jared turned to place a finger against soft full lips that he suddenly realized he really wanted to kiss. “Shhh, don’t. We’ll talk in a second and all night if that’s what it takes but first…I’m going to kick your parents out. Okay with you, sugar?”

It never failed to make Jensen’s heart beat faster when Jared’s voice dropped to the low sexy drawl and he used one of the few pet names he allowed his husband to use. He knew it really shouldn’t be okay with him but he had to finally bring himself to face that his family would never accept him or their granddaughter like Jared’s family did. His were more worried about the harm to the family name since Jensen just hyphenated his name when he married Jared so he still had the Ackles name attached to his design work.

“You told our daughter it was her fault? You told her that we broke up when I’d told her that Daddy was working away from home? You told her Jared only stayed out of duty?” Jensen shot his parents a disgusted look while giving the guy who was struggling back to his feet a sneer. “Do everyone a favor before Jay does what he said he was going to, Dad. Get the hell out of our home, stay the hell away from me, from my family and if you or anyone working for you comes close to Carly I will let Jared’s family ruin you.”

“You ungrateful…” Richard started forward only to stop as Jared straightened to his full height and glared in a very clear warning. “You could’ve been free of this life, Jensen! You could’ve started over! Started fresh and been normal with…Jensen!”

Jensen was around Jared before even his husband could blink and shoving his startled father back a few steps. “I am normal, goddamn you!” he yelled, furious suddenly but also hurt that even after so long his parents couldn’t accept him or be proud of what he’d accomplished on his own. “There is nothing about me that isn’t normal except in your slanted world, Dad!

“I graduated college, I got my degree and got a good job that you just cost me because I will not move and I would not move without my family so if that was your plan it would’ve backfired anyway because without Carly and Jared I wouldn’t have moved. I can find another design job so fuck you, fuck them, fuck your idea of normal!” Jensen whirled to grab a photo off the mantle to shove it at his clearly startled parents. “This is normal! This beautiful little girl that Jared and I created together is normal! She and Jay are my normal.”

“Then why did he finally get smart and walk out?” Evelyn asked with a sneer. “Have a little fun on the side or…”

“I want another baby and Jared’s scared for me to try. He’s scared the doctors are right and it could cost me my life if I delivered so we had a fight and he left to give us both time to cool down and think about what’s important,” Jensen was quick to block Jared before he could lunge at that suggestion. He wasn’t sure to be annoyed or just face it when his mother looked horrified at the thought. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now so Carly asking for a baby brother or sister didn’t suddenly make me want one. I’ve been considering it cause I want to give Jared a son and…I think I can do it but…I also know what’s important to me and that’s my family,” he turned to look at Jared, stepping back to reach for his hand; the hand with the gold engraved band. “You and Carly are what’s important, Jay. Fighting over having or not having a baby isn’t anything if it costs me you or if it hurts our little girl.

“I swear that I didn’t know she’d been told that crap or that she asked Gen to take her to see Santa. I’m sorry you found out like this but I’m not sorry it brought you home. I’ve missed you so damn much, Jared,” Jensen reached up to lay a hand over Jared’s cheek, lips curving when Jared turned his face into the touch to press a kiss into the palm there. “Please, Jay? Please come back home?”

“That’s what I’m here for, sugar,” Jared replied, eyes flicking up past Jensen’s shoulder to meet the hard gaze of people he would never understand. “Take your lapdog and get the hell out of my house,” he ordered sternly, stepping away from Jensen long enough to grab coats and toss them at his clearly shocked in-laws. “Oh and just so there’s no misunderstanding? If you two come within 500 feet of Carly without either Jensen or I or my parents present? I will nail your asses in court and my father is burning for the chance to point out to your pals just how upstanding you two really are given that you’ve turned on your own son because he’s gay.”

Jared physically shoved the guy out the door with a snarl to never show his face near his husband again and stood there to make sure the Ackles’ left in their fancy car before he turned to go back inside the house with a blown out breath.

He shut and locked the door, set the alarm because right then he wasn’t confident they wouldn’t try any stunts and had just been stepping back into the living with a smile he hoped look calm now that he and Jensen were alone only to stop dead and felt his heart rocket into his throat.

“J _ensen_!”

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets the explicit content warning.

**A Visit to Santa**

**Chapter Two**

“ _Jensen!”_

Jared was across the living room and on his knees beside where Jensen looked to have fallen but as he gently turned his husband from his side to his back, propping his head and shoulders up on his knees to brush a hand over pale cheeks he saw long lashes already starting to flutter and relaxed a little.

“Jen? Hey, you wakin’ up or trying to scare me to death by finding you on the floor like this?” he asked in a voice that Jared tried to keep from shaking but it was never easy when he saw Jensen sick or pale or worse, passed out.

Despite Jared being two years older, Jensen had always been the more mature one. He was also stubborn and hard headed with showing weakness or admitting if he was sick so it usually would get to the stage where Jensen would wear down and collapse before he accepted help.

He had been more willing to lean on Jared but given recent events it looked like his husband had once again let too much get to him and Jared recalled what Carly said about hearing her Dad cry at night so that also told Jared that Jensen probably hadn’t been sleeping or eating right since he left.

“Huh?” Jensen’s lashes fluttered against his cheeks another second before slowly a fleck of green was seen as his eyes fought to open; he looked confused for a second as he tried to place why he was on the floor looking up into Jared’s worried face when it hit him.

He’d been trying to get control of his sudden burst of nerves and shaking after Jared cleared the house of his parents and their lackey. Jensen hadn’t been coping as well as he would’ve liked with Jared’s absence in their home, especially since Carly had been unusually moody the last few days and now he guessed he knew why his normally happy and bubbly daughter had been crying and clinging more to him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, starting to push himself up only to blink when he went from on the floor to into Jared’s arms; picked up in a way that reminded him that there was actual muscle in those broad shoulders and long arms. “Jared, I’m…”

“Carly said she’s heard you crying at night, Jen. How much have you actually slept?” Jared cut him off swiftly while frowning a little because while Jensen was leanly built he wasn’t a lightweight and Jared, when he picked him up and stood up, he felt a change in weight. “Have you been eating? Carly said you forgot to shop.”

“Carly was certainly chatty to Santa,” Jensen muttered but didn’t blame his child. He knew she was a combination of both of them so that meant that she had her moments of just silently watching the world like he would do but 96.9% of the time she has more like Jared and willing to talk to nearly anyone and always with a smile. “Yeah, I…I…” he stopped in the excuse he was going to say to sigh, suddenly disgusted with himself. “I’m a bad father when I can’t even keep food in the house for our kid.”

Jared’s eyes scanned the house as he headed for the steps. He noticed the tree was lit, there were wrapped presents and there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere that he could see. A glance in the kitchen showed more of a mess than he knew should be usual but saw bowls in the sink and empty cereal boxes. “I usually shop because you read the labels too much and then we’d never eat,” he pointed out, easily avoiding the kitten that had been an early Christmas present because Carly had begged for a pet rat and Jensen compromised on a kitten. “I knew you had that design to finish and then there was Carly’s school thing…did you make cupcakes or…?”

“Are you kidding? I can’t bake in that Easy Bake oven thing much less in a real oven,” Jensen snorted, never denying that while he could grill and cook that Jared was better at baking even if he made a mess when he did. “I called your sister and begged her to make them or else Plan B would’ve been to go to the bakery and buy them.”

“Good thinking,” Jared chuckled, stepping into the master bedroom to stop in the door briefly to take in the disarray of the normally organized bedroom before moving to place Jensen on the bed; shaking his head to stop the excuse he could see about to come. “No, don’t. I know how you get when upset or frustrated. I never should’ve stayed gone this long. I should’ve been back the next day but I’ve been swamped at Dad’s office and then the Santa thing and didn’t want to come here if I was too tired because it’s too easy to fight when I’m tired and fighting is not what I want us to do, Jensen.

“Now I want you to try to sleep for a little bit. You’re exhausted, worn out, and upset from them being here so close your eyes. We’ll talk and fix this when you wake up,” Jared told him, sitting on the side of the bed they shared to card his fingers back through dark blond hair that showed signs of fingers running through it; another sign that told him that Jensen had been upset lately.

Jensen was tired and his eyes were already heavy but he struggled to keep them open to stare at Jared, fingers moving until he felt his hand caught and held. “Jay…I meant what I said down there. You and Carly are what’s important to me. I…I do want another baby but…hmm.”

Warm lips touched his in a slow soft kiss; a kiss without heat or pressure. It was more of love and sweet longing and Jensen had missed his husband so damn much that this simple kiss nearly had him in tears.

“Sleep now, sugar,” Jared whispered against Jensen’s ear as he placed soft kisses over his face, his temples until he placed one in the center of his forehead because he knew that spot always made Jensen smile when he kissed him there. “I’m home and by the time Carly gets home we’ll have this sorted out,” he promised, hearing a soft murmur and nodding. “Yeah, I’ll call and make sure no one gets the bright plan to dye her hair pink. This is what happens when one of her surrogate aunts is an exotic dancer.”

“Jared?” Jensen called as his brain was already half asleep but needed to say one more thing before he felt right about sleeping. “I love you.”

“I know that, Jen. I love you too and that will never stop,” Jared assured him and then sat there until he was certain Jensen had fallen to sleep fully before digging in the closet for a blanket and flipping the gas on in the small fireplace in their bedroom before beginning to pick up the mess of bed clothes, clothes and other things tossed on the floor that was the biggest red flag to Jared to how bad things had been getting.

Jensen, at no time in their relationship, had ever let his or Jared’s clothes stay on the floor for more than an hour before he had to pick them up to toss them in the hamper. So to see them there now it worried him and then he realized with a lump in his throat that it was mostly his clothes and figured out what must have happened.

Early on during his pregnancy with Carly if Jared had to go to classes or wasn’t home and Jensen was feeling uneasy or unsecure he’d take one of Jared’s shirts that still smelled like his soap or just reminded the younger man of him and he’d fall to sleep or calm down with the item. As he picked the clothes up now, Jared figured this must have been one of Jensen’s coping mechanisms in the last few weeks as he struggled to keep up the façade for Carly’s sake.

“You sleep, Jen. I’m home now,” he whispered, kneeling beside the bed to let his fingers rest of the side of Jensen’s cheek; seeing that even now he looked more at ease than he had earlier and Jared vowed to make this better for all of them as soon as those green eyes were open again.

Warmth, soft music, the smell of hot chocolate and something much more familiar brought Jensen Ackles-Padalecki awake slowly. He still felt like he could sleep for a week and knew he’d gone too long without decent sleep or food so he’d have to ease his body into rest or he would crash for far too long and he had things to do given that Christmas Eve was right around the corner.

At first Jensen was confused to why he was in bed and then he remembered and started to move only to groan as it felt like his body was like lead; hearing a muffled voice from beyond the bed that made him smile as he recognized Jared’s not so good attempt at keeping his voice low.

“No! Chad! I swear if Carly comes home with any color in her hair besides its natural color I will sit on you and shave you bald. Do not allow Danneel to put anything on her hair and no, Gen, I don’t give a damn if it does wash out after ten washes I do not want our daughter having hot pink hair stripes on Christmas!” Jared rubbed his head wearily and vowed he was not calling his mother to go rescue her granddaughter from ‘girls night’ when a sound behind him had him cutting the call short. “Just play games, eat junk food and have fun but nothing that will give Jensen a stroke when she comes home and…Chad! Call before you bring her home!”

He quickly disconnected and tossed the cellphone with a grumble that after Christmas they were making new friends. Then he turned to offer a smile. “Feel better?” he asked, noticing some color had come back but there were still far too many dark shadows under Jensen’s eyes for his liking.

“A little,” Jensen admitted as he sat up slowly, seeing the bedroom had been straightened up from the mess he’d allowed it to become. “Is Chad over at the girls place?” he asked curiously since he knew that usually Chad avoided that place as it was too pink and girly for him.

“I sent him to make sure our daughter doesn’t come home with glitter or anything on her this time,” Jared nodded, moving slowly until he could sit on the side of the bed; sensing Jensen’s nerves and knowing he needed to take this slow. “I made hot chocolate and coffee,” he glanced to the nightstand. “I also called out for pizza that should be here within the hour so we can eat and then…talk this out?”

Jensen met the hand that held his, fingers meshing as they sat with shoulders touching. “I’m sorry I reacted the way I did that night but…” he looked over as lips kissed his hand and saw the patient loving man he’d always known. “It went from discussing to forbidding me and you know how I react to that.”

“Yeah, I know it and I’m sorry,” Jared sighed, wishing he could go back and take that moment back. “I wasn’t thinking. All I was hearing was that doctor in the hospital saying if you tried to have another baby that you could die and that scares me Jensen. It scares me to think I could lose you, that Carly could…mmhm. God, I’ve missed you shutting me up this way,” he murmured, feeling the smile that matched the sudden light in Jensen’s eyes as the kiss broke.

“I’ve missed shutting you up this way too,” Jensen hadn’t allowed himself to think that Jared’s reaction had been out of fear the night they fought. His long time fears and insecurities had reared their head and he’d instantly thought his husband just didn’t want another baby with him. When he said this and watched the shock come over Jared’s face he realized how stupid he’d been.

“You thought I didn’t…” Jared felt numb at that, never once thinking that would be what Jensen might have thought by his reaction. “Jensen, I love you. I love our daughter so of course if we could I would want to have another baby or…two with you but not if it means losing you or making you sick,” he moved his hands up to touch the ones Jensen had placed on his face. “I got scared and then I got angry and…I’m sorry, Jen. I never should’ve left that night and I should’ve come home sooner. If I had known your folks were around I would’ve.”

Jensen closed his eyes, relieved that Jared did want a baby and all his stupid inner fears and worries had just been in his head. “I let myself think they were coming around because they finally wanted to be a family but we had never been a real family before so I should’ve known it was just to once again press me into doing what they wanted,” he moved into the arms that wrapped around him, content to be in Jared’s arms again. “They will never accept me for what I am or Carly because as far as they can see I’m an embarrassment and she’s…no, you were right years ago. Your family is what I have now…what we have and I’m so glad of that.”

“And those friends that we might be getting rid of depending on what Carly comes home looking like,” Jared smiled and loved to hear the laugh that got. “Jen? I know you want another baby and we’ve covered that I’m not against the idea for any reason other than your health…could we compromise and either looking into adopting or surrogates or…”

“I saw my doctor the other day,” Jensen interrupted quietly, chewing his bottom lip nervously. “She put me in touch with a specialist here in San Antonio that did some tests.”

“You…why didn’t you call me?” Jared wasn’t angry but he was concerned, especially when he saw the furrowed brow and lip chewing; thinking he now knew where their daughter got that habit from. “I would’ve gone with you, Jen. I never want you to face anything alone…unless…”

“I thought you were against me having a baby because you didn’t want one so that side of me wasn’t sure if you’d want to go, that’s why I didn’t call, Jay,” Jensen replied quickly, reaching into the nightstand for a file. “This doctor did more tests, asked more questions and actually seems to know what he was doing. He said my risks of carrying to term are only a little higher than any other guy with this gene. He said Carly was harder because I didn’t get the right pre and post natal care but that if we did conceive and I was really careful with stuff like diet, and vitamins and taking it easy that he thinks I could come close to carrying to term but…”

“But?” Jared had been reading the files of notes and other things that were over his head. He was mainly listening to his husband but when he got to the last word his eyes lifted. “You were doing so good reassuring me until you tossed that word in. I’m a lawyer who grew up in a family of them so the word ‘but’ usually doesn’t reassure me Jensen.”

Jensen cringed when he heard the word but Jared had already latched onto it so he knew he needed to let his over protective husband wind down some before speaking again. “But if I had trouble or the baby got into distress or anything then he said a C-section could be done. He was kind of upset that no one did one for Carly because he said that should’ve been the first thing done when my blood pressure dropped…and no, you are not siccing your Dad on the hospital.”

“Carly’s six and the stature of limitation I think for medical negligence is seven or eight so if this guy says you weren’t given the right care then oh hell yeah, Dad’s looking into that,” Jared would put that bug in his mother’s ear the next time he saw her but right then he needed to focus on this. “I don’t understand medical speak so if it’s okay with you I’d like my aunt to sit down with us and go over this in English but...and yeah, I can use it too, but go back over the part where he said he thinks you could do this. Give me numbers and odds and risks and…”

“I told him my husband was a lawyer with a family of doctors so he could probably count on a visit or a series of hyper Padaleckis calling him with questions that I might not think of,” Jensen chuckled, adoring how Jared could look so damn innocent with his big eyes and dimpled smile and still be a sharp as nails attorney when he needed to be. “He said my odds of trouble or difficulty aren’t any higher than any other man my age looking to push a small human being out of my body…I still love how you pale at that,” he recalled how often his solid and steady then boyfriend before they married had nearly passed out during classes on how to give birth. “Trade?”

“Jensen, I told you before if I could trade you that pain or the hormones or swollen ankles or anything else I would in a heartbeat,” Jared was certain he’d need to be knocked out but he wouldn’t admit that one given that Jensen had refused all painkillers up until they heard the first cry of life. “Odds?”

“90% against me having problems and then he said if he thought it would be safer he’d do a C-section,” Jensen replied, meeting and holding wary eyes. “You can grill the man after Christmas, Jared. I know you’re scared. I am too because the last thing I would ever want would be to leave you or Carly but if there’s a shot that I can carry your baby, that I could give you a son…I…I want to do that, Jay. Could we just try? You said you want a baby with me if…”

Jared placed the folder back in the drawer for later examination and then his hands were framing Jensen’s face. “I will be grilling this doctor mercilessly and I will be setting my family on him too,” he began slowly while taking in the deep longing he could read shining back at him and knew he had no more resistance against those eyes than he did their daughter’s. “We’ll take this slow, talk to the right people and…if you happen to get pregnant we will make certain you follow every rule, every order and you better know that you will not be doing anything for nine months. Agreed?”

“Yes!” Jensen understood this was Jared’s way of giving in. He knew it wouldn’t be simple or easy but he wanted this so badly so would do whatever he had to including letting Jared be manic and hyper; assuming they could even conceive since the doctors had also said before he might not even be able to but this doctor had just dismissed those concerns with a wave of his hand. “You want to have a baby then?”

“Yes, I want to have a baby with you,” Jared smiled, still uneasy with this but not as terrified as he had been after reading what little he could understand in the folder. “Boy or girl, I don’t care so long as both of you come out of it healthy, Jen.”

With a laugh Jensen went into open arms to meet Jared’s kiss fully, letting it heat slowly until both men were searching for more. “When…when can we start trying?” he asked, gasping as teeth raked over his jaw to lightly nip along his neck.

“Well…I was thinking…” Jared had been about to suggest right then when he heard the bell and suddenly decided he hated pizza delivery people. “Hold that thought while I go pay for the pizza and then we’ll pick this up,” he urged and heard Jensen’s laugh as he nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to get downstairs and back.

The smell of pizza reminded Jared that he hadn’t actually eaten anything since lunch that day but stepping back inside the bedroom reminded him that it had been a lot longer since he’d had something else. “Oh wow,” he remembered not to drop the pizza on the floor but only barely as he suddenly also remembered that he loved his husband’s lean ruggedly built body that barely showed any sign of even having a baby six years earlier. “You’re gorgeous.”

Jensen’s cheeks still flamed when told he was good looking. He didn’t see himself the way Jared did and still couldn’t understand when women stared at him or Jared growled if a guy showed too much attention. He also blushed when Jared looked at him like he was currently given that while he’d been down getting the pizza Jensen had decided to surprise his husband by quickly shedding his clothes and was waiting on the bed when Jared walked back in.

Despite not being an athlete like Jared had been and was more of a bookworm Jensen still had an obsession with keeping fit so he exercised regularly and maintained a trim and toned body that was now the center of Jared’s attention.

“If you…want to eat first we can or…” Jensen began to say only to cut off when the box of pizza was dropped on the dresser and Jared made a diving leap onto the bed. “Or not.”

“Cold pizza in bed works for me if it works for you,” Jared tried to remind himself that he needed to take care of Jensen, that his husband probably hadn’t been eating right so he really should put his dick on hold and feed the younger man. He tried to convince his brain of that when Jensen’s smile turned to the slow sinful one that Jared loved to see and all thoughts of food was gone.

Somewhere in between hot kisses Jared’s shirts were lost. He wasn’t aware of taking his boots off but heard them hit the carpeted floor. He felt Jensen’s hands roaming over his chest, down his back while Jared’s lips and hands traced every line, every muscle on Jensen’s body until he was shaking with need.

“Jay…God, I need more!” Jensen groaned, dropping his head back to the pillows; hips’ arching up as his cock was already hard and dripping precome. “I need you.”

“You’ve got me, sugar,” Jared forced himself to slow down. His jeans were tight and uncomfortable but he knew if he lost those that this would be over too soon so he flipped the button and undid the zipper but left them up while digging into the drawer of the nightstand again until he finally found what he was looking for. “Roll over for me?”

Jensen nodded blindly, rolling to his stomach only to throw a muttered curse back when he was lifted to his knees so his needy cock couldn’t find relief on the bed. “Jay…”

“I know what you need, Jen. I’ll give it to you but not like that,” Jared helped position Jensen where he’d be comfortable but his cock couldn’t touch anything to find relief while he popped the top off the bottle of lube to coat his fingers. “Promise, I’ll make it worth it but just give me time to open you.”

Jensen bit his lip from growling something impatient since he understood how important taking care of him was to Jared. From the first time he realized that Jared was so different from others that Jensen had dated and had just been interested in sex.

The sex with Jared was mind blowing but what still moved Jensen even after nearly 10 years of life together was that Jared still took time to prep him with as much care as he had the first time and Jensen knew afterward his husband would take care of them both before they slept in one another’s arms.

So knowing this he tried to be patient but after so many weeks apart patience wasn’t an easy thing to come by for either man.

“Y’know I won’t complain if I’m a little sore tomorrow,” he remarked and moaned at the feel of two fingers finally working past his rim to begin to scissor; feeling a slight burn that was quickly replaced by pleasure and Jensen had to work not to push back into those fingers to get them deeper.

“No, but if my folks happen to stop by anytime and you’re walking funny my Momma glares at me like I’m some sort of thug or something for being rough with you,” Jared could take a lot of intimidation but the dressing down he got one time after his mother saw bruises on Jensen’s arm from a night of too rough play makes him leery of repeating the mistake. “Plus…I don’t want to be rough with you tonight, Jensen. I want to make love to you like the first time,” he pressed a warm kiss to the back of Jensen’s neck and immediately felt him melt. “Trust me to love you right, sugar?”

Nothing could melt his heart or remind Jensen how lucky he was than when Jared’s voice dropped and his natural Texas drawl came out more like it did when they were alone like this.

Jensen shifted enough so he could look over his shoulder into the darkening hazel eyes of the man he loved. “I’ll always trust you to do that, Jay,” he replied huskily, meeting the slow deep kiss while opening his lips to allow Jared’s tongue to enter.

By the time it took Jared to get Jensen open enough that he could take three fingers with ease the Texan swore he was going to come the moment he shed his jeans but he reminded himself that he could do this and would give Jensen this night, making it right as they began to plan for the time when making love might actually give Carly that little brother or sister she wanted.

Jensen’s brain was barely functioning by this point. He thought he’d lose it the first time Jared’s fingers hit that spot inside him but managed to stave off the climax by squeezing the base of his cock and growling impatiently at his trembling husband to hurry up.

“Bossy but I love you,” Jared kissed the spot under Jensen’s ear that he knew was sensitive before slipping off the bed long enough to skim out of his jeans. “You off those pills?” he asked while kneeling back on the bed to begin to position the head of his engorged and dripping cock and giving a gentle roll of his hips to see how tight Jensen still might be.

“Fuck!” Jensen groaned at finally feeling Jared’s cock slipping inside him. No matter how many times they did this it still felt so damn good. The stretch and burn was there but Jensen didn’t mind that; he knew it was only temporary and then the pleasure would be well worth the minor discomfort.

It took a couple seconds for Jared’s question to register and then Jensen nodded blindly, fingers digging into the pillow to keep from touching himself or reaching back for Jared. “Yeah,” he gasped. “I stopped a day or so before we had the fight so…I just want to feel you make love to me tonight, Jay. I also need to come soon.”

“Hold on a bit longer, sugar,” Jared knew this time wouldn’t take long since they were both stressed out and Jensen was still basically running on fumes but they had time to make a baby. Tonight was more about showing he loved this man and always would.

After so long of being together he knew what Jensen liked when they made love. He also knew what to do to make him moan with pleasure or growl at him. This night Jared knew not to draw it out. He did give a few shallow thrusts until finally he went flush, his cock hitting Jensen’s prostate and loving the sounds the younger man made each time he moved after that.

They were in sync with one another and could move seamlessly together so both got pleasure but for Jared it was always Jensen’s pleasure he cared about. He heard mindless words and knew Jensen had reached the end of his endurance.

Jared wrapped one arm around Jensen’s chest to bring him back closer to him while using his other to wrap his fingers around Jensen’s cock to begin a slow stroking motion from base to tip in the way he knew his husband enjoyed; hearing Jensen moan his name while trembling with need.

“Love you so much, Jen,” he whispered, kissing over Jensen’s neck before beginning to suck little hickeys over the skin available to him. “You can come whenever you want, sugar. I promise I won’t be far behind you.”

Jensen never liked to come before Jared but this time his body was stretched so thin and the need was too huge that after several strokes over his cock and a well-placed thumbnail moving up the sensitive nerve on the underside of it he felt himself come with a shout of Jared’s name.

“Jay!” Jensen’s climax hit him fast and hard; white strips of come hitting his stomach as well as Jared’s hand as he continued to work his cock to help milk the orgasm for him.

“Shhh, I’ve got you, Jen,” Jared’s voice was tight as he continued to thrust his hips to make sure to hit that spot while working his hand in the same rhythm; loving to watch Jensen’s face during his climaxes because it was one of the few times when it was open and relaxed except in sleep.

Jared knew it was in times like this when Jensen opened himself up fully, letting his emotions that he’d pent up since childhood come out because he felt safe with him and loved to see that. He also loved to hear the sounds he made during it and when his own orgasm hit and the feel of warm come was felt filling him.

This time Jared was so focused on Jensen that he didn’t feel it immediately when Jensen’s inner muscles clamped down on his cock or when he came with a low groan of pleasure, lips locked on Jensen’s pulse point to feel it jump and knew he’d come.

The bedroom was silent for the next little while except for soft moans and the sound of flesh meeting flesh until finally Jensen collapsed back against Jared with a soft sigh of pleasure.

“Jen?” Jared saw a flash of white a moment before Jensen went limp and was quick to adjust his grip. “Jensen?” he was worried until he heard a soft murmur as warm breath touched his neck and smiled, knowing the force of his orgasm on top of still being exhausted had knocked his husband out for a few moments. “Love you, Jen,” he whispered and let his own climax work through him until he was spent and then gently shifted until he had them both laid on the bed.

Jared eased out slowly, carefully but was quick to murmur soft assurances when he heard a muttered complaint about the loss of connection. “I’m here, Jen, I’m right here,” he kissed Jensen’s temple while moving to the bathroom to wet a rag so he could wipe them both clean for the night and managed to get some sleep pants on both of them. “I just had to grab a rag so I can hold you because I do not want to explain to Chad or Gen why we’re stuck…or our too bright for our own good daughter.”

Jensen’s lips curved in a sleepy smile while he turned into Jared’s arms to lay his head against his chest. “Hmm, missed you, Jared,” he mumbled, brain still not connecting after sex so he was content to just stay where he was. “Promise me if we fight again you won’t leave for even a day?”

“Promise, sugar,” Jared figured there’d be fights since they were so different but he also knew that being apart to cool down wasn’t the plan either. “If or when we fight we will always make up that night. I love you.”

“Hmm, love you, Jay,” Jensen murmured, debating if he wanted to sleep or eat when he felt warm arms wrapping around to hold him close, body a natural fit it had always seemed. “Glad you’re home.”

“So am I, Jensen, so am I,” Jared carded his fingers through dark blond hair that had grown out since they’d been in college and had been so short that he could barely feel it. He loved to touch Jensen’s hair, especially when it was styled because Jensen gave him a look that always promised revenge later on and that always proved fun. “Go on to sleep now. We’ll have cold pizza for breakfast since it’s just us right now and we don’t have to set a good example.”

Jensen normally wouldn’t have gone for that but right then he was too relaxed and happy so he’d agree to let Jared do cold pizza for breakfast…so long as he got hot sex in the shower either before or after and before Carly got home because he was already aware the moment their daughter walked in the door and saw Jared that she’d be glued to him for the next little while.

As so happened both men got what they wanted and had time to fool around in the kitchen before they heard the front door open since Jared had unlocked it and shut the alarm off after he got a call from Chad earlier.

“Dad! Guess what I got!” Carly’s voice shouted from the hall as she struggled out of her jacket and mittens before starting to run to the kitchen where Jensen’s voice had come from.

“It better not be anything that Uncle Chad will be paying for later,” Jensen replied as he stepped from the kitchen to catch his running daughter up into his arms with a smile as her arms twined around his neck.

Carly giggled and rubbed her face over Jensen’s cheek like she always liked to do. “No, it’s a stuffed kitty that looks like Muffy,” she held up her new toy with a smile that still looked dim compared to what Jensen knew she could smile like.

“Yeah, it looks like Muffy,” Jensen agreed, giving a smirking Chad a grin while shifting Carly on his hip to keep her turned from the kitchen. “Baby? When Auntie Gen took you yesterday, did you lose your hat someplace?” he asked casually but doubted if his child was even aware that she’d dropped it since keeping a hat on her head was as hard as keeping one on Jared.

She scrunched her face up to think and then her eyes began to water. “Oh! I must’ve lost it when I went to see Santa. I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to lose it. I’ll go back and…” she’d buried her face against Jensen’s neck as he began to gently bounce her in his arms to calm her.

“Shhh, no, it’s okay. Carly, it’s okay,” he assured her and nodded to the hook by the door where her hat hung. “We got it back.”

She stared at the hat while wiping her nose on her sleeve, missing the eye roll Jensen gave at that habit. “How’d it get home?” she asked.

“An elf gave it to me on my way home,” Jared replied from where he was leaning in the kitchen door, going to his knees at the scream of his name and had his arms full of happy little girl the moment Jensen put her down. “Hey there, Princess. You been a good girl for Dad while I was gone?”

“Daddy! Daddy, you came home!” Carly’s arms were locked around Jared’s neck while tears flowed down her cheeks. “Look Dad! Daddy’s home! Daddy came home!”

“Yeah, your Daddy’s home,” Jensen smiled as he watched husband and daughter before crossing to them. He heard Chad say something about calling later as he made his exit but right then his attention was in front of him as Jared’s free arm slipped around to bring him in close. “And he’s never leaving again.”

Jared met his smile while kissing Carly’s hair and then Jensen’s and knew he was home and next year would be very interesting for all of them.

** 1 Year Later, two days before Christmas: **

“Hi, Santa!”

The cheerful little voice had a mall Santa looking up even though he’d caught sight of the little girl in the line of kids the moment she arrived but he still pretended it was a surprise.

“Well, hello there to you young CJ,” he laughed in his deep voice, helping her onto his lap and had to wonder how much one little girl could grow in a year but there was a definite height change. “I got your list again unless we need to make another change?”

Laughing Carly’s arms reached out to hug Santa tightly. “No! I came today to thank you for bringing me my Daddy last year and for what Granma says was an early present this year since Max wouldn’t stay in the oven another month to be a Christmas baby.”

Santa had to fight not to chuckle as the Elf beside him turned to cough rather than choke on his laughter again. “Someone was in an oven?” he replied as if clueless just to see her dimples shine when a long thin arm shot back to point to something behind them.

“That’s what Auntie Dani said because my baby brother was born early,” Carly waved before looking back happily. “See Santa? That’s my Dad and that’s Max. He came from Dad’s belly after it got big and round and I could feel Max kicking so he wanted to be born really bad Daddy said.”

That was an understatement as ‘Santa’ knew only too well since Max Tristan Ackles-Padalecki was indeed born nearly one month early and by C-section after Jensen’s doctor decided it would be safe for both father and child to deliver early.

Jensen got pregnant a few months after Christmas and despite several setbacks an freak-out’s by Jared he remained healthy and strong up until the last month of carrying Max; then the doctor ordered strict bed rest and no exertion which wasn’t easy for Jensen to accept since he was used to being the caretaker of the family.

Jared took a leave from the law firm to take over caring for the house, Jensen and Carly but did call in for help at times when he felt he was overwhelmed or Jensen needed more time.

His family was always there to call on which relieved Jared since he wanted his children to have one set of grandparents who loved them.

It was into Jensen’s fourth month of pregnancy that Jared came home from the store to find Chad in the living room with an upset Carly. Jared’s mother in the bedroom with Jensen; to learn that Jensen’s parents had paid a visit that scared his daughter and upset his husband so after that and with Jensen’s full agreement Jared had his father put a no-contact order out because he was damned if he’d lose Jensen or the baby due to bigoted hate.

Carly had been thrilled to learn she’d be a big sister by Christmas and had demanded Jensen or someone take her to thank ‘Santa’ and while Jared hadn’t planned to do the gig this year he had requested that day so he could see his little girl happy as she pointed out her bald and chubby little brother who was bundled in a carrier strapped to Jensen’s chest.

“Santa?” she seemed to be pondering something as his eyes went back to her after meeting and holding Jensen’s for a long moment; sharing a silent message that was just between them. “I know I said I wanted ballerina shoes but…if it’s easier to just bring Max baby toys this year I’d be fine with that,” she said, worried that her little brother might not get toys from Santa since he was new. “He needs a bouncy seat and a stuffed Elephant.”

Jared wasn’t sure where the last item came from until he saw Chad shift guiltily and promised to hurt him later while hugging the little girl for their photo. “You don’t worry. Santa knows just what to bring you and Max, Carly. Now, you go be a good big sister to that little boy and be good for your Daddies. I’ll see you next year.”

“Okay! Bye Santa!” she hugged him again before jumping down and running to where Jensen held his hand out to catch hers. “Daddy! Do you want to see Santa?”

Jensen looked up to see bright eyes watching him. “No, sweetie. I’ve already got everything I need,” as he bent to adjust her cap and so she could kiss Max he lifted his eyes again. ‘Love you,’ he mouthed and then took his children home to wait for Jared to get home from helping Grandpa or so he’d told Carly.

By the time Jared got home since he had to finish the shift and do some shopping, he knew the kids would be in bed but was surprised to find Jensen stretched out on the sofa beside the softly lit tree.

“Jen?” he bent down to brush a light kiss over soft lips to feel them lift in a sleepy smile. “Everything okay?”

While the birth hadn’t been as hard as Carly’s had been Jensen still got tired easily so it worried Jared a little given everything he knew his husband had been doing to get ready for this Christmas.

“Yeah, I just decided to wait for you down here,” Jensen eased up enough so Jared could sit down and then rested his head back in his husband’s lap. “Next Christmas, Max will be big enough to go see Santa too or to have his photo taken with him and I was just thinking what this last year would’ve been like if Carly hadn’t gone to see Santa last year and…”

“I would’ve come home to you, Jen,” Jared promised, fingers rubbing down Jensen’s chest but stopping short of his stomach because he knew the scar was still a little sensitive. “Wanna tell me what you’re really doing down here?”

Jensen sat up slowly to curl under Jared’s arm. “I wanted to wait for Santa,” he smiled as Jared chuckled and they settled back to watch the lights twinkle on the tree and decide who was hurting Chad for that suggestion of a purple elephant.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and since my Beta mentioned a couple timestamps to backstory a few things mentioned in this chapter we shall see. One of these days I will get timestamps complete for all my J2 AU pieces. :)


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